Harness suspending and releasing apparatus



No. 609,675. Patented Aug. 23, |898. J. W. HWGATE.

HARNESS SUSPENDING AND RELEASING APPARATUS.

" (Application 4filed Oct. 21, 1897.) 4 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

No. 609,675. Patented Aug. 23, |898.

J. W. HWGATE.

HARNESS SUSPENDING AND RELEASING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Oct. 21, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

llllllllllllll W/TNESSES 22 /W-.MJW 23 ATTORNEYS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEECE.

JOSEPH W. HOWGATE, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

HARNESS SUSPENDING AND RELEASING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,675, dated August 23, 1898.

Application filed October 21, 189,7.; Serial No. 655,942. `(No model.) i

To @ZZ whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. HOWGATE, of Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented a new and Improved Harness Suspending and Re` leasing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide an improved apparatus for suspending and automatically releasing harness to allow it to drop upon a horse when great celerity is required in hitching up, as in fire departments, patrol-stations, &c. I have aimed to combine adaptation for easy and reliable automatic action in releasing the harness and in! stant return of the apparatus to its normal position after such release with the qualities of simplicity, lightness, strength, and durability.

'Io these ends I have devised the construe tion and combination of parts hereinafter described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a perspective View of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is an enlarged vertical cross-section. Fig. 11 is an enlarged longitudinal section on line 4: 4: of Fig. 2. s

The apparatus is suspended in horizontal position when in use. The harness-suspend ing parts proper are two :metal (preferably steel) rods 1 2, arranged parallel and separated by a narrow space, one of said rods being eX- tended forward of the other and both diverging at their rear ends, `which* thus form angle-arms 1a 2?. A hook or curved finger 3 is applied to the end of the extended rodl and secured by a clamp-screw 4, so that it may be adjusted both axially and circumferentially on such extension, as required l to accommodate harness of different lengths. The ends of the angle-arms 1 2 are curved to form hooks 5, as shown. In practice the front hook 3 detachably engages a ring or loop forming an attachment of a horse-collar, While the rear hooks 5 similarly engage rings or loops on the breeching-straps of the same. The means for holding and suspending these rods 1 2 are the following: They pass through and are adapted to rotate but not slide in tubes or elongated sleeves 6, which extend a good share of the length of the rods. Near the longitudinal center of these tubes 6 is applied the hanger proper, which consists of two short tubes 7 and a central bridge or connecting piece S, having a vertical extension or arm 9, which is provided with an eye for convenient attachment of the cord or strap 10.

` In practice the latter passes up over pulleys to a Weight (not shown) that counterbalances the entire apparatus and the suspended harL cumferential slots 12, that extend part way around them. Through these slots 12 project steel pins 13, Fig. 3, which are set radially in the rods 1 and 2 and are thus adapted to ro tate with them. It is obvious, however, that such rotation must be in effect in oscillation,

since it is limited by contact of the pins 13 with the aforesaid slots 12. Said pins 13 constitute part of the releasing mechanism proper. The other chief coacting element of such mechanism is a double catch 1 4, Fig. 3, which engages the free ends of the pins 13 when the latter are in vertical position. Said catch 14 is arranged horizontally and carried by a stem or bar 15, that slides vertically in perforated lugs or keepers 16 16, cast on the central portion of the hanger-arm 9, the bar 15 being thus equidistant from the tubular parts of the hanger, as shown. A spiral spring 17 encircles the bar 15 between the upper keeper 16 and an adjustable or vertically-slidablesleeve or collar 18, which is secured in any desired adjustment on the bar 15 by means of a clamp-screw 19. The tension of the spring 17 and the consequent action of the releasing mechanism may obviously be regulated as required by the adjustment thus provided for.

The means for tripping the double catch 14 is a pendent lever 20, Figs. 1 and 4E, which is hinged to the bridge of the hanger 8. Itis adapted to swing in a vertical plane parallel with the axis of the rods and tubes and is so constructed as to adapt it to come into contact With the lower end of the slidable catchbar 15 when raised to the position shown by full lines, Fig. 4. For this purpose I prefer- IOO the coaction of the lever 2O with lever.

ably provide it with a bend or lateral projection in which a set-screw 21 is arranged, as shown. By adjustment of Vthis set-screw 21 the catch 14 may be regulated at will.

A pull strap or cord 22 is detachably connected with the free end of the lever 2O by means of a ring, the latter being held by an elastic friction clamp or spring 23, arranged over a shouldered or notched portion of the The aforesaid strap 22 may be eX- tended back and pass over a pulley or attached to one of the reins of the harness suspended from the apparatus, so that it may be conveniently pulled to operate the lever 20, and thereby cause release of the harness. In this respect any convenient arrangement will be adopted.

On the rods 1 and 2, adjacent to the front ends of the sleeves 6, are secured radial arms 24, whose free ends are connected by a spiral spring `25. The said arms 24 are adjustably fastened by clamp-screw 26, so -that they may be set a greater or less distance apart in order to increase or diminish the tension of the' spring, as conditions may require.

Summing up and to an extent recapitulating the operation of the apparatus, it will be seen that when it is desired to release a harness suspended by the rods 1 2, when the apparatus is held horizontal, as shown in Fig. 1, it is only necessary to pull the strap 22, whereby the lever 2O is brought up against the catch-bar 15 and presses it upward, thereby lifting the catch proper, 14, off the heads of the pins 13 and allowing the weight. of the harness to rotate the rods one-quarter of a circle, so that their angle-arms 1 2 fall to the vertical position shown in Fig. 2, thereby releasingl the harness, which falls upon the horse in due position beneath it. The instant the harness slides off the hooks 3 and 5 the spring 25 rotates the rods back tothe normal position, Fig. 1, and the pins 13 rengage the double catch 14, as before. Thus the apparatus both releases the harness and is reset itself automatically. It may be 'further stated that when thus relieved of the weight of the harness the counterbalance-weight, (not shown,) to which in practice the suspending-cord 10 extends, raises the apparatus bodily above its former normal position, so that it is entirely out of the Way of the fire-engine and driver.

Theadj ustable weight 27 on the forward end of the shorter rod 2 is used merely to counterbalance the apparatus, so that it will hang normally horizontal.

1. An improved harness suspending and releasing apparatus, comprising a hanger, two parallel, rotatable rods having lateral projecting portions adapted to detachably engage harness attachments, trip mechanism connected with such rods, a retracting-spring, and a device for operating such mechanism, to automatically unlock and allow rotation of the rods as required to cause release of the harness, substantially as shown and described.

3. An improved harness suspending and releasing apparatus, comprising two, parallel rotatable rods, having radial lookin g and stop pins, a hanger adapted to arrest the rotary movement of such pins, a catch for engaging the latter, and means for actuating the catch, to unlock the pins and rods, substantially as specified.

4. An improved harness suspending and releasing apparatus comprising the rotatable rods arranged parallel and having divergent rear ends forming angle-arms, the automatic locking and trip mechanism, a retractingspring, and a hanger, as shown and described.

5. In an improved harness suspending and releasing apparatus, the combination of the rotatable parallel rods, having laterally-projecting portions for engaging a harness, locking and stop. pins set radially in said rods, sleeves in which the rods are held, the same having slots for said pins, a hanger applied to said sleeves, a double spring-catch adapted to engage the free ends of the pins, a retracting-spring, and a lever for acting on the catch to release the pins and rods, substantially as shown and described.

6. An improved harness suspending and releasing apparatus, the combination with the hanger and double catch Whose stem slides in keepers on the hanger, the sleeves having radial slots, pins arranged opposite each other and ixed in the rods and projecting through said slots, and the hinged and pendent lever for acting on the catch, as shown and described.

7. The combination of the two parallel rotatable rods having lateral projections adapted for engaging and releasing a harness, a hanger or means for supporting and rigidly connecting said rods, radial projections on the rods, stops on the hanger for arresting the projections when the rods are rotated, a spring attached to and connecting radial arms of said rods, spring locking and releasing mechanism, and a lever for tripping the latter, as shown and described.

8. An improved harness suspending and releasing apparatus the combination of two parallel rotatable rods, sleeves in which the latter are held, radial arms on said rods, a spring connecting the arms, radial pins set in the rods, a hanger having tubular portions provided with radial slots for the pins, a double catch having a stem or bar encircled IOO IOS.

IIO

1o a Vertical bar and tubular slotted portions,-

pins set in the rods and projecting radially through the slots in such tubular portions, a spring-catch for engaging the outer ends of said pins, and means for tripping the catch, as shown and described.

JOSEPH XV. HOVGATE.

Witnesses:

JAMES BANTING, JOHN C. PURCELL. 

